The present invention relates to a vehicle display device including a display capable of displaying a plurality of screens and a method for controlling the vehicle display device.
A vehicle display device known in the art uses a user interface such as a touch panel and a touch pad to perform, for example, an operation on a displayed map of a navigation system, an operation on an icon button, or a setting operation performed on displayed vehicle information.
When a user positions a cursor on any one of icon switches on a screen, the user needs to move the cursor, which is located at a certain position in the screen, toward an icon switch that is subject to operation. In particular, from safety viewpoints, it is desirable that a vehicle display device installed in a vehicle reduce the burden on the user resulting from operations other than driving. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-128619 describes an example of a vehicle display device capable of reducing the burden on the user resulting from operations other than driving.
The vehicle display device divides a display region into two regions and selects an icon switch shown in the region where a virtual pointer (cursor) is located. That is, the vehicle display device sets a virtual cursor that is moved in a screen by an input from the outside and not visually recognized from outside. Further, the vehicle display device includes a displaying means for displaying icon switches one at a time in which the icon switches include different processing contents corresponding to instructions and allocated respectively for a plurality of regions defined by dividing the display region. In addition, the vehicle display device includes a selecting means for selecting an icon switch shown in a region including the position of the virtual cursor and a processing means for outputting, to a predetermined device, information including the processing content corresponding to the icon switch selected by the selecting means.
The vehicle display device of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-128619 selects an icon switch shown in the region including the position of the virtual cursor and thus reduces the operation burden on the user.
Screens that have a low correlation with one another are often shown on the same display device. Screens having a low correlation may have a large difference in operability. Thus, when excessive movement of a cursor or the like causes an operation error across such two screens, the operation error may lead to a display result or the like that is awkward to the user. Further, free movement is required between two screens shown on the display device. That is, the display device that displays a plurality of screens needs to limit inadvertent movement between screens while also allowing for free movement between the screens.